Syal, who’s best known for the television series "Goodness Gracious Me" and "The Kumars At No. 42," will play showbiz gossip reporter Kitty. It's not unknown for writers to star in their own shows — the London production of Boy George's Taboo employed the same trick. The current London cast at the Apollo Victoria Theatre includes Stephen Rahman-Hughes, Zehra Nqvi, Ravin J. Ganatra, Munir Khairdin, Royce Ullah, Raj Ghatak and Sophiya Haque. The production has been seen by over one million people and has just seen its booking period extended until the end of September 2004.

The musical, with music by A. R. Rahman and lyrics by Don Black, is directed in London (and New York) by Steven Pimlott, with production design by Mark Thompson. Anthony Van Laast and Farah Khan share the choreography duties, with musical supervision by Chris Nightingale. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Really Useful Group is the producer. For the American production, Tom Meehan has been brought in to collaborate with Syal on an altered book.